Thermochemical stability of low-iron, manganese-enriched olivine in astrophysical environments

Low-iron, manganese-enriched (LIME) olivine grains are found in cometary samples returned by the Stardust mission from comet 81P/Wild 2. Similar grains are found in primitive meteoritic clasts and unequilibrated meteorite matrix. LIME olivine is thermodynamically stable in a vapor of solar composition at high temperature at total pressures of a millibar to a microbar, but enrichment of solar composition vapor in a dust of chondritic composition causes the FeO/MnO ratio of olivine to increase. The compositions of LIME olivines in primitive materials indicate oxygen fugacities close to those of a very reducing vapor of solar composition. The compositional zoning of LIME olivines in amoeboid olivine aggregates is consistent with equilibration with nebular vapor in the stability field of olivine, without re-equilibration at lower temperatures. A similar history is likely for LIME olivines found in comet samples and in interplanetary dust particles. LIME olivine is not likely to persist in nebular conditions in which silicate liquids are stable

Microbes are our friends

‘We are left in the hands of the generations which, having heard of microbes…suddenly concluded that the whole art of healing could be summed up in the formula: Find the microbe and kill it,’ said George Bernard Shaw

Probiotic design

Responding to advances in medical fields that now understand the integral role that bacteria play towards human health, this research proposes a novel probiotic approach towards designing healthy buildings in relation to beneficial microbes. This research fundamentally challenges modern approaches to healthy buildings that assume fewer microbes as the default healthy condition. Probiotic design builds on the contemporary understanding of the microbiome and the need for reintroducing environmental microbial diversity into buildings. The research uses an interdisciplinary approach between microbiology and architecture which aims to develop living materials embedded with beneficial bacteria for buildings to directly shape the indoor microbiome towards a healthier microbial condition. This approach utilises a mix of in vitro and in silico methodologies to explore the design, fabrication, and survival of living probiotic materials. These are then scaled up to building size as a series of probiotic tile surfaces which are in turn installed in a test space to monitor their effect on the indoor microbiome. The research provides evidence of a successful methodology for integrating viable bacteria into ceramic and concrete materials. As these are proved to inhibit the growth of pathogens, they can also directly increase environmental microbial presence towards healthy indoor microbiomes

Smoking, dementia and cognitive decline in the elderly, a systematic review.

Background. Nicotine may aid reaction time, learning and memory, but smoking increases cardiovascular risk. Cardiovascular risk factors have been linked to increased risk of dementia. A previous meta-analysis found that current smokers were at higher risk of subsequent dementia, Alzheimers disease, vascular dementia and cognitive decline. Methods. In order to update and examine this further a systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out using different search and inclusion criteria, database selection and more recent publications. Both reviews were restricted to those aged 65 and over. Results. The review reported here found a significantly increased risk of Alzheimers disease with current smoking and a likely but not significantly increased risk of vascular dementia, dementia unspecified and cognitive decline. Neither review found clear relationships with former smoking. Conclusion. Current smoking increases risk of Alzheimers disease and may increase risk of other dementias. This reinforces need for smoking cessation, particularly aged 65 and over. Nicotine alone needs further investigation. © 2008 Peters et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Master\u27s Project: Burlington Geographic: A Place-Based Landscape Analysis and Community Engagement Project in Burlington, VT

Community health surges when inhabitants share a rich sense of place, a quality emerging when people are deeply engaged in understanding their complex and layered landscape. Wendell Berry advises, “if you don’t know where you are, you don’t know who you are.” But how does a city converge around a collective “where” that authentically represents its diverse stories and perspectives? Answers to this question become tools for growing sustainable communities. As a program coordinator for the UVM/Shelburne Farms PLACE (Place-based Landscape Analysis and Community Engagement) Program, I orchestrated a city-wide celebration of integrated natural and cultural history called Burlington Geographic. This twelve-part program series explored Burlington\u27s place-based identity by investigating and interpreting the local landscape through various conceptual lenses. We hosted public evening presentations, field trips, high school classes, and professional development programs for educators. Topics ranged from geology to food, and electricity to ethnicity, rooted in principles of place-based education and community engagement. This series welcomed over 600 participants and involved over 30 city agencies, small businesses, schools, and non-profit organizations. We are now leveraging this momentum to harness Burlington’s recent U.N. designation as a Center of Expertise in Education for Sustainable Development

A computer aided teleoperator system Final report

Computer aided teleoperator system for remote handling task

Kaitianite, Ti³⁺₂Ti⁴⁺O₅, a new titanium oxide mineral from Allende

Kaitianite, Ti³⁺₂Ti⁴⁺O₅, is a new titanium oxide mineral discovered in the Allende CV3 carbonaceous chondrite. The type grain coexists with tistarite (Ti₂O₃) and rutile. Corundum, xifengite, mullite, osbornite, and a new Ti,Al,Zr‐oxide mineral are also present, although not in contact. The chemical composition of type kaitianite is (wt%) Ti₂O₃ 56.55, TiO₂ 39.29, Al₂O₃ 1.18, MgO 1.39, FeO 0.59, V₂O₃ 0.08 (sum 99.07), yielding an empirical formula of (Ti³⁺_(1.75)Al_(0.05)Ti⁴⁺_(0.10)Mg_(0.08)Fe_(0.02))(Ti⁴⁺_(1.00))O₅, with Ti³⁺ and Ti⁴⁺ partitioned, assuming a stoichiometry of three cations and five oxygen anions pfu. The end‐member formula is Ti³⁺₂Ti⁴⁺O₅. Kaitianite is the natural form of γ‐Ti₃O₅ with space group C2/c and cell parameters a = 10.115 Å, b = 5.074 Å, c = 7.182 Å, β = 112º, V = 341.77 ų, and Z = 4. Both the type kaitianite and associated rutile likely formed as oxidation products of tistarite at temperatures below 1200 K, but this oxidation event could have been in a very reducing environment, even more reducing than a gas of solar composition. Based on experimental data on the solubility of Ti³⁺ in equilibrium with corundum from the literature, the absence of tistarite in or on Ti³⁺‐rich corundum (0.27–1.45 mol% Ti₂O₃) suggests that these grains formed at higher temperatures than the kaitianite (>1579–1696 K, depending on the Ti concentration). The absence of rutile or kaitianite in or on corundum suggests that any exposure to the oxidizing environment producing kaitianite in tistarite was too short to cause the precipitation of Ti‐oxides in or on associated corundum

Moving beyond boundaries: When user-centered design meets sociology

In this paper, we consider the potential of combining design, engineering and sociological perspectives with user perspectives, as part of a user-centered, inclusive design process. Our particular interest lies in the design of inclusive toys and games that disabled and non-disabled children can play together and which foster positive interactions between children across difference. We explore the challenges and opportunities associated with working in a transdisciplinary mode, where knowledge production evolves from dynamic tension between different disciplinary perspectives and those of non-academic stakeholders. We argue that the latter is of particular importance within any design process that seeks to provide accessibility and empower users. Such transdisciplinarity involves an upstream approach to the involvement of non-academic interests in the design process and knowledge production, rather than limiting the engagement of/with users to the dissemination end point stage of research (Barry, forthcoming). The paper draws upon two case studies of projects conducted by the authors. Both projects involve the use of co-operative inquiry [14] with children and we seek to extract the pedagogical implications of both projects for future design, including that within the field of ICT and digital technologies, with and for children

Moving beyond boundaries: When user-centered design meets sociology

In this paper, we consider the potential of combining design, engineering and sociological perspectives with user perspectives, as part of a user-centered, inclusive design process. Our particular interest lies in the design of inclusive toys and games that disabled and non-disabled children can play together and which foster positive interactions between children across difference. We explore the challenges and opportunities associated with working in a transdisciplinary mode, where knowledge production evolves from dynamic tension between different disciplinary perspectives and those of non-academic stakeholders. We argue that the latter is of particular importance within any design process that seeks to provide accessibility and empower users. Such transdisciplinarity involves an upstream approach to the involvement of non-academic interests in the design process and knowledge production, rather than limiting the engagement of/with users to the dissemination end point stage of research (Barry, forthcoming). The paper draws upon two case studies of projects conducted by the authors. Both projects involve the use of co-operative inquiry [14] with children and we seek to extract the pedagogical implications of both projects for future design, including that within the field of ICT and digital technologies, with and for children